Engineering & Mining Journal

AUG 2017

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MINING TIRES
AUGUST 2017 • E&MJ 43 www.e-mj.com
temperature data. DirectLink is the soft-
ware that receives, assimilates and commu-
nicates it in real time. Predecessor software
system TreadStat is a repository of data that
enables total inventory management. The
latter two could both share a common plat-
form as early as this fall, a step on the road
to further melding the programs.
B-TAG, Siebert said, is critical tech-
nology for the emergent or mature digital
mine. The TPMS was designed to enable
users to get "the most out of a product,"
he said. TPMS empowers users to "make
better decisions that affect not just what
tire they select or which tire to buy the next
time. It facilitates "in-the-moment deci-
sions that affect the productivity as well as
the management of their operations."
The sensor mounts to a patch inside
the tire. It gathers and transmits re-
al-time data on pressure and tempera-
ture. Bridgestone is one recipient and
the data facilitates swift cooperation and
planning, allowing the company and its
customers to be proactive.
"Where our customers have enjoyed
the most success out of B-TAG is actually
using it as an opportunity to increase pro-
duction," Seibert said. Bridgestone, he
said, works with customers to run the tire
based on its actual temperature.
"If there are temperature alarms, the
customers can adjust their haul profile,"
he said. "We've seen customers see sig-
nificant production increases, up to 18%
in certain instances by speeding up."
For example, a customer can deploy
Bridgestone's B-TAG system to trial pro-
tocol developed in response to a tire's
TPMH rating, or working capacity.
"We've had customers that have had to
restrict speed due to ambient temperatures
and the TPMH rating of the tire," Seibert
said. "The customers were able to then run
live B-TAG temperatures against those rat-
ings and actually increase the speed of the
truck and increase production over 10%."
The TPMS also helps miners improve
safety, he said. The benefits are "being
able to eliminate field pressure checks
and being able to do that remotely, im-
proving your safety and your efficiency."
B-TAG communicates with the user
via DirectLink. The program monitors
B-TAG data and "also provides historical
reporting for customers trying to under-
stand the accuracy of their pressure pro-
gram," he said. "The mine monitoring
control at Bridgestone is able to see that
data, too, to help our account managers
understand how the tires are being used
and any alerts or concerns around them."
By the fall, some of that same data may
also automatically be fed to Tread-Stat. "We
are in the process of launching the next
generation of TreadStat," Seibert said. "Our
goal is to provide a brand new interactive
user-friendly system with custom reports
and dashboards," he said. The reports will
crunch inventory and tire performance met-
rics against forecasts and budgets. "They'll
get that in the moment, not after a tire comes
out after 12 months of use and then trying to
figure out what is going on," Seibert said.
Bridgestone plans to offer the pro-
grams as a bundle in the fourth quarter,
Seibert said. "We are bringing those two
programs onto one software platform this
year as we launch the new next-generation
TreadStat," he said. The bundle would
comprise a software suite users can ac-
cess with one log on. "They would actually
be able to see their tire temperature and
pressure history, and also be able to then
take a look at the tire records as well."
The long-term goal, Seibert said, is to
synchronize the programs so data-sharing
between the two is automated. "That is a
program goal: They do eventually become
one system and one reporting mechanism."
Ultra-large, Well-received
Goodyear debuted at MINExpo the ul-
tra-large RM-4B+ hauler tire for severe
operating conditions. Since then, the com-
pany reported, feedback has been positive.
"The RM-4B+ has been well-received
by end users in the mining industry, who
are deriving real cost-reducing perfor-
mance benefits delivered by the tire's
many features," said Eric Matson, man-
ager, global field engineering.
Those features include a high net-to-
gross tread pattern, an extra-deep tread
pattern, and a cooling compound.
The high net-to-gross tread pattern en-
ables "increased cut and impact protec-
tion in rugged, hard rock applications,"
the company reported.
Matson elaborated. "Net-to-gross ratio
is a term that describes the balance be-
tween tread blocks and empty space —
or voids — in an OTR tire's tread area.
Tires with a higher net-to-gross ratio have
a higher tread volume," he said. "This
helps protect the tire's casing from rock
cut penetration, while absorbing impacts
from rocks and other foreign objects."
The extra-deep tread pattern ensures
"longer wear," the company reported.
"Our first tire in size 53/80R63, which
was the RM-4A+, is an E-4+ with 18% to
24% more tread depth than the standard
E-4 haulage tire. However, the new RM-
4B+ is over 5% deeper than the RM-4A+,"
Matson said. "This extra tread depth al-
lows for longer wear, increased casing pro-
tection, and overall longer tire life."
An "enhanced, cool-running com-
pound," called CycleMax tread rubber,
"makes it ideal for high-heat applica-
tions," the company reported.
Technically there are almost a dozen
compounds involved, Matson said. "Tires
like the RM-4B+ are required to carry
enormous loads at relatively fast speeds,
which can generate heat buildup in the
crown area," he said. "The cool-running
compound in the RM-4B+ is formulated
to minimize heat buildup while working in
tandem with the tire's other compounds."
Other features, the company reported,
include tread lug blading for addition-
al heat resistance, interlocking blading
for added stability, a centerline channel
for added lateral traction and heat resis-
tance, angled main grooves, and a side-
wall scallop for improved heat resistance.
The 63-in. tire is backed by Goodyear's
support and services structure. "Goodyear
provides reliable service like on-site con-
sultations, site audits, footprint evalua-
tions, tire surveys, temperature studies
and more, all designed to help mining op-
erations optimize their tire investment,"
Matson said. In addition, Goodyear offers
management tools, like EMTrack, a TPMS.
Goodyear's newest 60-in. RM-4B+ for rigid haulers
features high net-to-gross tread pattern, an extra-deep
tread pattern and a cooling compound. (Photo: Goodyear)